JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Just hours after Democrat Donna Deegan and Republican Daniel Davis took the top two spots in a 7-way race...the two campaigns are off and running. Deegan told News4JAX Wednesday she will not be negative. Davis said he will only speak about their records.
Some have blamed low voter turnout in Tuesday’s election on negative campaigning. We caught up with Donna Deegan Wednesday morning and asked her about what we can expect to see in the next 55 days.
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“I mean, you’re going to hear me speak truth to power, as I always have,” Deegan said. “I will point out where I think that my opponent and I are different, and where I think we have different priorities. At the end of the day though, you’re not going to see these black and white grainy lie filled ads from me, I don’t think that does anything but discourage people. And frankly, it’s dishonest. So, we’re not going to do that.”
Daniel Davis also responded to what we can expect to see.
“Listen, I have a record. Donna has a record. And we have to be able to defend our records,” Davis said. “And I will tell you where there’s going to be clear contrast between the two candidates, and the voters are going to be able to make a clear decision on those differences. So, we are going to make sure that everybody understands who is who and what the records are. But, we can’t really say for sure if it’s going to go negative or not. It’s going to be a contrast, and that’s what I’m gonna focus on. I want to make sure that the citizens know and they can make an informed decision.”
One of the two will be Jacksonville’s next mayor and voter turnout will be vital. News4JAX wanted to find out about issues they think need to be brought to light.
Deegan said, “Well, the very first thing we’re going to do is we’re going to throw open the blinds and let the sun shine in. We’re going to really increase the transparency here, we’re going to completely revamp our boards to make them look like Jacksonville and bring in folks that are from every walk that look like this city.”
Davis said, “You know, we knocked on over 70,000 doors in the primary election and time and time again, the people at the door who are most concerned about this community say public safety is their number one issue. And, so, I am going to focus on making sure we have whatever we need to make sure that T.K. Waters, our sheriff, has the necessary resources to put more officers on the street and to make sure they’re equipped and to make sure our firefighters are equipped. I’m looking forward to that opportunity.”
Both candidates talked about the low voter turnout and say they’re going to do what they can to get their supporters to the polls. News4JAX has found that in city elections over the past 20 years, when the race for mayor made it to a runoff, the runoff had higher turnout